Tuberculosis Plague sweeps St. Maarten
Pastor Dale Morgan
Tuberculosis Plague sweeps St. Maarten*
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten (AP) — Dozens of people in St. Maarten are
being treated for latent tuberculosis after health officials warned that
they may have been exposed to the illness by a stripper infected with an
active form of the disease.
At least 40 people tested positive after the health department treated
an exotic dancer from the Dominican Republic several months ago and sent
her home, according to a government news release issued Friday.
Health officials struggled to identify those exposed, launching a public
campaign to urge anyone who had contact with the woman to seek
treatment. They now believe they have identified everyone infected.
Tuberculosis is caused by airborne bacteria that attack the lungs and
can be fatal. People with latent tuberculosis do not feel sick and
present no symptoms, but are at risk of contracting the full disease,
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.